Former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy made a special appearance at Hanworth Villa to mark the opening of new facilities at their home ground.
The 66-year-old visited the Isthmian League South Central Division outfit’s Rectory Meadow base on Saturday as part of a wider initiative to highlight the importance of non-League football within the English pyramid.
McCarthy was greeted by players, supporters, and club officials before cutting the ribbon on the club’s new 3G pitch, and reflected on his own experiences playing at grassroots level before going on to a 15-year professional career with hometown club Barnsley, Manchester City, Celtic, Lyon and Millwall.
McCarthy, who was also capped 57 times by the Irish national team, said: “There are so many lads that have come out of grassroots football, as I did.
“I didn’t get through an academy, so I know what it means to all the kids who want to play.”
The day included a question and session, where McCarthy recalled experiences and stories from his playing and managerial career.
That included revisiting his infamous clash with Roy Keane at the 2002 World Cup, when the Ireland captain was sent home after a public fallout with then-manager McCarthy.
McCarthy joked: “He was a fabulous talent, I got on great with him and my relationship with him now is even better.
“To be honest, I’ve got nothing but respect for him.
“Oh no, that’s Robbie [Keane] – the other fella.”
Among those putting questions to McCarthy were Villa’s youth players, and the former central defender shared some valuable insights about perserverence in the face of adversity.
McCarthy said: “I had a few knockbacks and people saying I wasn’t very good.
“I wasn’t very good, but I was good at stopping those who were.
“The biggest thing is to enjoy it, and you get a lot out of it with the cameraderie of your colleagues.”
McCarthy stayed to watch Hanworth take on Hayes & Yeading United in a Middlesex derby, where the hosts suffered a last-gasp 1-0 defeat which left them 17th in the table, three points and nine places adrift of their rivals.
Hayes & Yeading held off a barrage of Villa attacks, with the home side’s big chance coming when they were awarded a penalty, only for it to be saved.
Neither team found a breakthrough until the 92nd minute, when Remi Onabanjo threaded a neat pass into the box and fired the ball past Villa goalkeeper Mark Smith.
The game marked Hanworth’s first home fixture of the season, due to their ground expansion and pitch renovations at Rectory Meadow.
The event highlighted the club’s deep ties with the community in the Borough of Hounslow as well, both on and off the pitch.
Among those contributing to the matchday experience was the club’s kebab stall chef, who wished to remain anonymous.
The 23-year-old first worked at the club while on day release from Feltham Young Offenders Institution as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award and is now a full-time volunteer at the club.
The initiative has been running for many years, with numerous inmates volunteering at the club, alongside their correctional officer who also gives her time as a volunteer, manning the turnstiles with her twin sister.
Feature image: Jon Candy/Flickr licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
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